Pages from our childhood
by SparkieSchteff
Summary: 15 broken scenes from the childhood perspectives of Vince Noir, Howard Moon and their parents. Disclaimer: I do not own at all!
1. Scene one

**Mkay, lemme explain this. I posted this one on my LJ and it got positive feedback :)  
I have (at the minute) 6 written scenes and 9 planned, so 15 scenes in all which will be broken up scenes from the childhood's of Vince and Howard. I've included parent first names (later) and they're obviously made up.**

**Oh and I'm making them the same age because it's easier for writing!  
Some scenes will possibly contain mild language but this one doesn't, I hope you like it!  
And yes I know, there's no Jungle. Shush!**

**Disclaimer: The Boosh and everything related to the Boosh belongs to Barratt and Fielding, not me! **

**xxx **

**Scene one - First day, hardest day**

"Rise and shine, time for school." Such simple words but a difficult task for a child of five years of age starting late at a new school.

The curtains were drawn on the small bedroom that was wallpapered in a jungle theme, tigers, monkeys and parrots beamed and starred at the child stirring from beneath the zebra print duvet. The room was cast in a warm rainforest green as the sunlight warmed the curtains gently, the child's mother tugged them back into place, the golden glow burst into the room and flooded it causing the little boy to screw up his eyes and bury his head under the safety of the dark duvet.

"Come on darling, time to get up now!" She touched his shoulder and rocked it gently, peeling back the duvet she was greeted with the sight of her son biting back a grin with his eyes shut "Oh...Is little Vince still sleeping? I guess he won't want his pancakes I made then." The little boys smile broke as he opened his piercing blue eyes and sat up beaming at his mother "So you do want your pancakes?" she laughed softly "Get dressed for school and they'll be waiting for you on the table, okay?" The boy nodded and jumped out from his bed tossing the duvet back leaving it in a crumpled heap.

His mother shut the door softly as he pulled his new and ironed school uniform out from the wardrobe and tossed it onto the bed. Quickly he dressed and combed through his short hair, he ruffled it up a little, he liked the bed head look. He wished it was longer though.

Toys littered his bedroom floor, plastic animals and cuddly toys along with a few broken cars and lots of books. The books lay in piles all stacked or balanced on their tips resembling tents, little plastic tigers and snakes hid under the books like they were hiding away from the rain of the jungle. Scribbly drawings littered the carpet and the walls, some were hanging on by blue tac while others had drifted to the carpet and lay in the open to be trodden on and pushed aside in a hurry to get a jigsaw puzzle completed on the floor. The drawings were all done in colour pencils or crayons and sometimes paint if his mother let him, he loved to paint the most and always painted animals and the jungle. He never painted his house or his mother or father, always himself next to a lion or with a spider on his shoulder.

"Your pancakes will be getting cold darling, are you ready?" He heard his mother call as he pulled his new school jumper over his head, it smelt of the fabric softener his mother used all the time.

He didn't reply but pulled on a pair of thick black socks, grabbed his new shoes and hurried down the stairs jumping the last two and landing with a thud. He dropped the shoes by the front door and hurried to the kitchen where he sat in front of some pancakes that smelled sweetly of golden syrup.

"There you go sweetheart, have you got your bag sorted for today?" He nodded a couple of times while filling his mouth full of pancakes "Good, your pack lunch is on the side. I made your favourite sandwiches but just for today mind!" He grinned at his mother trying to keep chewed up pancakes in his mouth "Don't start think you're getting chocolate spread and banana sandwiches everyday! It's just a treat for today." She grinned at her son who beamed back then turned to the washing up littering the draining board from the previous night, as she stacked it her husband appeared in the hall way, a brief case in one hand with his blazer hung over his arm and his mobile phone stuck to his ear. He ran a hand through his son's hair who continued gobbling down his breakfast, gave his wife a kiss who stacked some plates away then sat at the table taking a bite out of some cold buttered toast.

"Yeah, okay no problem. I'll be there in about..." He checked his wrist watch "Half an hour, it's Vince's first day at school and we're going to see him off after we've had a chat with the headmaster." He paused to take another bite of toast "Oh half an hour max, surely? Well, the meeting isn't until ten so even if I do get in a bit late I'll still make it." He finished up the conversation and finally stored his phone away in his pocket "So Vince, are you excited?" His son shrugged and reached for the jug of orange juice and a glass.

"Let me love." His mother offered picking up the full jug of juice, she poured him a glass and he smiled and watched his father read the newspaper while eating some toast.

Vince swung his legs under the table and found himself watching the minute hand tick away on the clock above the back door, it finally reached a quarter to nine and he found himself being ushered into the hall to pull on his shoes.

"Do you want a hand?" He nodded and his mother helped tie the laces on his black shoes, he grinned and grabbed his school bag and packed lunch and hurried to the car with his mother and father following.

The car smelt of leather and the seats were slippery under his backside and legs, he leant his head against the door feeling the engine vibrate against his skull. He watched the streets fly past, he saw houses and trees and more cars and other kids going to school with their parents, he sat up and studied them all in their uniforms and coats with their school bags slung over their shoulders. His heart rate quickened and his palms felt sticky and sweaty, as the car pulled into the school car park he clung at his seat belt turning his knuckles white, he stared at the red brick building and the grey concrete playground filled with colourful children all running around and chatting with their friends.

The engine cut and his parents got out of the car, his door was pulled open but he didn't move and didn't release his grip on the material seat belt, he shook his head stubbornly when his mother asked him to get out and froze when his father ordered him out in a stern tone of voice.

"Vince, get out of the car. I have a very important meeting to get to and you'll be late for class." Again his son shook his head, losing his temper he reached over and un-clipped his son's seat belt but still the little boy kept a vice-like grip on the material.

"Come along now Vince, you were looking forward to school this morning!" His mother cooed but he shook his head and creased his brow screwing his eyes up tight, if he couldn't see them they weren't there in his world.

"Vincent get out of this car this minute! I do not have time for your foolishness! Do as you are told!" Mrs Noir lay a gentle hand on her husband's arm as she noticed parents had turned their heads to watch but still Vince shook his head "Do not disobey me!" He clasped his son around the waist and pulled him from the car, his grip on the seat belt slipped and he found himself being carried away from his safe place from the red brick building. He watched his mother sigh and hurry after them with his schoolbag and pack lunch, the playground bounced up and down as his father carried him against his will to his classroom, then it dawned on him. He really didn't want to be there.

"No!" He screamed, shocking his mother with his sudden outburst "No! I don't want to go! I hate it, I hate you! Let me go!" He kicked his legs about and thumped his little scrunched up fists at his father while other children and parents watched and chatted amongst themselves, Mrs Noir followed completely red in the face "I want to go home! Don't make me go!" He cried hard and kicked and screamed until his lungs hurt and his eyes watered, when his father set him down inside an empty classroom he gripped his son's wrist and ordered him to be quiet "I hate it here!"

"You will be quiet Vince and wait for your teacher, this is your first day at school and you need to make a good impression. Do not show us up in front of your teacher like you did on the playground!" Vince sulked silently to himself as the classroom door creaked open behind them.


	2. Scene two

Thank you for the reviews :) Here is the second scene, the further in the story we get the more they will begin to connect, if that makes sense!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all and I'm pretty sure there's no swearing in this scene at all, sorry if there is though

xxx

**Scene two - Who needs GCSEs?**

The Zooniverse was nothing amazing, it was just a below average run down Zoo run by someone the employees thought of as a lunatic and owned by a man of action that was hardly ever present. The animals were few in numbers but they still attracted enough visitors to keep it open and running and the gift stall sold a few trinkets which helped but the Zookeepers didn't mind, most of them worked there for the animals, not the pay.

Howard and Vince were no different, they both loved working at the Zoo and often stayed over night in their old wooden hut on night watch. Of course they were only fifteen and weren't supposed to be put on night watch but their parents needn't know and their boss simply didn't care as long as no one else found out and reported it. They enjoyed sleeping over in their hut with their sleeping bags on the floor and using a rolled up Zoo jacket as a pillow, Vince's jacket wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world since he had decorated it with pins, badges and patches but it was fashion over comfort in his world.

They stayed up late most of the time, they didn't have school the next morning because they had both dropped out but neither of their parents knew that of course and so far the school hadn't phoned but that was mainly down to the fact they hadn't even told the school they'd dropped out. The thought kept reappearing in the backs of their minds every so often and each day they dreaded the time when the phone would ring and it would be the school on the other end asking where they were.

"This is genius, the best job I ever had!" Vince grinned as he threw some food into one of the hutches by their wooden Zoo hut "I don't know why I didn't drop out of high school sooner, I never liked it anyway."

"Not even one bit?" Howard asked while following with a bucket full of pellets for the smaller animals in the Zoo.

"Nope. It was a nightmare, don't tell me you liked some of it?"

"Some was alright." He shrugged and they said no more about it.

"Are we on night watch tonight?" Vince asked quickly changing the subject secretly hoping they were, he enjoyed snuggling into his sleeping bag in the Zoo. It was like sleeping in a tree house because the wooden hut creaked and shook in the wind.

"No not tonight." He sighed heavily and frowned a bit, he hated sleeping in his own bed now since he first slept on the hard floor. He shrugged it off and decided he would pull his duvet onto his bedroom floor and sleep there with his Zoo jacket under his head, he could imagine the creaking walls in his head but it wouldn't be the same without Howard lying next to him.

xxx

When five o'clock rolled around the Zookeepers began to close the Zoo for the day, the paths were swept of any litter and the animals were fed and locked in their cages for the night. Vince left the hut with his sleeping bag rolled up and tucked under his arm, Howard had left his in the hut as he locked it and joined his best friend on the walk home, the night air was quite warm but they both still zipped up their jackets. They finally neared Vince's street and they bid each other good night with a quick hug.

"What's your mum gonna say about that sleeping bag?" Howard asked quickly before his friend could leave, Vince looked down at it as though he had just remembered it was there.

"Oh, mum thinks I stayed at yours last night." Howard nodded and smiled then saying a quick good bye again he left Vince to hurry indoors while he rounded the corner onto his own street. Their houses weren't far apart from each other, they were practically around the corner which was convenient for 'sleep overs'.

Howard didn't have far to walk, however he stopped just before his house and dropped his school bag to the floor. He shook off his Zoo jacket and rolled it up into a scruffy ball then pulled out his usual coat and pushed the green jacket into its place in the bag, he flung on his coat then pulled his bag back onto his shoulder and hurried home. He always took his school bag with him to work because it made his mother and father think he was actually going to meet Vince then go to school, of course it was only filled with a few old exercise books and the odd pen and pencil but it mainly hid his Zoo jacket during the week. His parents knew he worked at the Zoo on weekends but never during a 'school week'.

"Hello Howard, back so soon?" His mother called from the kitchen as he shut the door and slipped off his coat and shoes, he still wore his school trousers and polo shirt to work because it made it look more like he had actually been to school.

"Yeah, Vince had to go out with his parents." He lied and he knew Vince would do the same to his mother and father too "What's for dinner?"

"You haven't had anything?"

"Uhh, no." He entered the kitchen and was greeted with the smell of cooking food, his mother was always a fantastic cook "Where's dad?"

"Should be home soon, he had to stay late. Something about some kids in detention."

"Oh." Howard's father taught Geography at one of the high schools that was an hours drive away from their home, luckily it wasn't the same one Howard went to which was a ten minute walk from their house.

"Sit down, tea will be ready soon."

"Okay, thanks mum." He grabbed a drink first, there was some fruit juice in the fridge left over but nothing much else.

"So how was school?" Howard felt a knot form in his stomach, he dreaded any questions about school but usually answered them fluently.

"It was ok, the usual."

"Nothing interesting happened then?"

"Not really."

"Vince didn't get into anymore fights did he?"

"Nope."

"Oh good, I remember when Mrs Noir came over when he first got into a fight a couple of years ago. The day after you took him home, do you remember?"

"Yeah, covered in blood he was."

"Yeah, she was so distraught. Poor thing, well at least he's behaving now though. Any homework today?"

"Uh, yeah." Howard caught a sideways glance at his school timetable that was stuck to the fridge while his mother's back was turned "English essay due in next week. I'll get it done tonight though."

"Need any help with it?"

"No should be fine, we went through it today. Seems easy."

"Oh good. Did you enjoy your sleep over with Vince then?"

"Yeah it was alright."

"Didn't stay up too late did you?"

"No mum."

"Good, you're lucky we let you sleep over at his during a school week. He should come stay one night this week or next, what do you think?" Howard smiled uneasily and nodded at his mother as she turned her attention away from the cooking for a second, he never did like lying to his parents "Just remember to ask him won't you?"

"I will."


End file.
